The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-02-17
RETROSPECTIVE.
The Past and Present Con-
trasted.
As a Man Sows, so Shall ne Reap-A
Short Lay Sermon by one Who has
Seen Better Days.
TPrisOn Press

ilSOI L 1901
How many are there within our
midst who have stopped for moment !
to think over and sum up the fruits
and profits which they have derived
from a course of wrong doing; the
profits and fruits of 's crooked life p
Very few of our number, we wecn,
have cared to take this retrospectlon. !
1t is ever pleasant to look back upon
the past and view again with memory |
the good, true and noble events which
somewhere forms a leaf in the book Of
every life. 1t is sweet and beautiful to
look back upon our innocent child
hood DAYS, SO full of glee, sunshine
and Joy, as we stood at our mothers
knee and listened to the tender ad-
monl,ions of love which fell from those
dear lips, which, perhaps, have long
since been silent in death. 1t is
pleasant to recall to our memories our
happy school-boy days, when with
romping, gleeful companions we spent
the happy May-time of our lives, little
dreaming Of the seeds strewn upon
life's pathway which were destined to
bear such bitter fruit in time to come;
seeds which we need not have sown
had we been more though ghtful OF the
future. 1t is ever pleasant to recall
the bright and good deeds Of the past,
but the dark, wron {, ignoble and un-
manly acts and deeds we try to forget,
TO Danish and crush from QUIZ memo
ries and obliterate from our lives.
But this we cannot do. Memory often
slumbers but never dies, and the har-
vest which we are now reaplng, and
tie fruits which we are now gathering
from the seeds sown in the past, are
constant reminder and warning, if we
would but listen to and profit thereby.
, but many of US go right along, IN the
same manner as in days gone by, with
out giving a thought to the future bar
vest, the future gathering Of the fruit
of our misdeeds. Let us stop mo-
ment now and gather the fruits of our
misspent past, and sum up the pfohts.
| 1t will be impossible to gather them
all at once in the casket of our mem
, ory, but we'll gather what the casket
, will hold, viz A blighted name ; IN
many cases an almost ruined life ; III
some a mothers broken heart, a
flther's blasted hopes; a sisters burn
ing tears, and a brothers pride; the
best wears Of our young lives in llv-
: ing tomb outCasts from the world ;
/ outCasts from the society OF all those
who are good, pure and true; dis
e honor, regret, shame, misery, wretch
edness and woe these are the fruits
which we are gathering from the seeds
which we have sOWn, or will have tC
gather if we continue to SOW as III the
past. Is the harvest profitable one
Shall we continue to SOW the seeds 0
}, wrong-doing, knowing full we'll tina
!, with each succeeding day the harves
=, will become more and more abundan
. and oppressive; until at last the burdei
of gathering has broken and crushed
# from our lives all manliness, all hope
n and finally our wrecked forms are lax
e away to fill an unloved and dlshonore'
grave? Oh, what bitter fruits to b
gathered from lives which might hav
been, aye, and may yet be made re
splendant with honor, truth, purity
\ usefulness and love. And, oh, no
j many boys and young men are there
the great world outside who ar
no thoughtlessly sowing the selt-san
es seeds of 'intemperance,' 'untrnthtu
ness and little dishonesties,' whit
we have sown, and who, like us, w
soon be gathering from beneath ii
of of cold grey walls of cherries priso
ge g the fruits from the seeds which the
'e- have sown in dissipation and folly
'es Ss the past" Be warned, be warne
US our brother, lest our warning be t.
pie late.
Y Z t,S